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Arts Psychotherapies

Arts Psychotherapies (Creative Therapy) Service

We offer person-centred arts based psychological therapies across NHS Ayrshire & Arran.

Arts psychotherapists support people to engage with the art form (art, music or drama) as a way to communicate emotional experiences which may be distressing or hard to understand. 

What is an Arts Psychotherapist?

An Arts Psychotherapist is a clinician who is registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC).

They are experienced in using psychological processes and have trained as a Music, Art or Drama Therapist. The HCPC is a governmental body designed to protect the interests of the public when they seek a health care practitioner.

“Sometimes it’s hard to find the words to describe how we are feeling or we actually might not know the words. During Creative Therapy sessions, we can use various creative elements to communicate feelings, allowing for a deeper exploration of a person’s psychological and emotional landscape. The music can never be exactly translated but the act of making music creates this space for expression”

Music Psychotherapist in N-CAMHS

Arts Psychotherapy is made up of three professions: Art, Drama and Music Psychotherapy.

Art Psychotherapy

Art Psychotherapy uses art making as part of the process of therapy, allowing a non-threatening and deep expression of emotions.

We aim for safer, more fulfilling lives and improved self-care. We achieve this by encouraging people to express, contain, explore and reflect on:

  • thoughts
  • feelings
  • difficulties they may be facing.

Drama Therapy

Drama Therapy focuses on the intentional use of healing aspects of drama and theatre as the therapeutic process. It is a method of working and playing, using action methods to facilitate:

  • creativity
  • imagination
  • learning
  • insight
  • growth

Music Psychotherapy

Music Psychotherapy focuses mainly on your emotional life, using co-improvised music to give you a way of expressing. Words can be used to identify and consolidate insights gained during the process.

Therapy sessions are not lessons and artistic skill is not necessary.

How to access treatments

At present we cannot take self-referrals from members of the public for Arts Psychotherapies.

We can only take referrals for people who are already connected with the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) at this time.

Further resources

For more information on specific professions, please see the following professional bodies:

Service overview

A psychological intervention to support exploring and expressing difficult emotions, without the need for a verbal response.

To support people whose lives have been affected by injury, trauma, mental health struggles, illness or disability through supporting their psychological, emotional, physical and social needs.

Our non-directive use of creative interventions plays a significant role in establishing a therapeutic relationship which then supports a psychological intervention which is not reliant on finding the right words.

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